Lakota Winds (Zebra Historical Romance) (21 page)

"I have never felt this strange way about a man, but I know what
we share is strong and special, for the Great Spirit put us together and
knows all things. As time passes, I am sure He will place great love in
our hearts for each other, for desire already dwells within our bodies."

"That is wise and true, mitawin. "

Chumani savored his touch as he caressed her cheek. She knew that
an evil force could separate them at any time, so she was compelled to
have him for as long as they walked the face of Mother Earth and
breathed the Great Spirit's air. He had proven to her he was a perfect
match for her in all ways but one; and soon that question would be
answered for her. They had to become one before more mischief occurred
and put distance between them forever. "I did not mean to make it
hard on you, mihigna, and you have kept your word of honor to be
patient. When you are ready to lie with me, I am ready to lie with
you."

Almost afraid to trust his hearing, Wind Dancer took a deep breath
and asked, "Do you mean on this moon? Here? Now?"

Chumani smiled and nodded, assured they would not be disturbed
with a fierce storm raging outside the cozy cave. "It is time we become
mates in more than words spoken before our peoples."

Wind Dancer admired her honesty and courage. As if two different
desert winds, they had blown into each other's lives when their hearts
were frozen by great losses and by an icy desire for revenge on the Crow
warriors who had caused such suffering; they had brought each back
to life. They must risk loving and binding themselves together with the
hope that bond would be too strong for any evil force to break.

The flames within his loins kindled to a greater height as he pulled
her into his arms. For a short time, he did nothing more than hold her
to feel her against him and to tell himself this was meant to be. When
she looped her arms around his waist and nestled her head to his chest,
his embrace tightened and a moan of intense need escaped his throat. He grasped her chin with one hand, lifted it, and melded his lips with
hers.

Shared passion caused Chumani to quiver and ignite with pleasure
and anticipation. She felt unusual but wonderful all over. Her pulse
raced wildly through her body. She returned his kiss eagerly, enjoying
every sensation his nearness evoked. She was relaxed yet tense. She was
unsure, yet confident this was right for them. Despite the fact she had
lain with a man before, she hoped she would know how to please Wind
Dancer. Surely such things took care of themselves as Mother Nature
intended when such an event occurred between two people who desired
each other.

Wind Dancer was almost spellbound by the way she clung to him,
kissed him, and cuddled against him. He was not a stranger to sex, but
he was to these emotions. Even so, he instinctively knew he must move
slowly and gently with her, though she was making self-control and
leisure difficult with her ardent responses. He trailed kisses over her
face and down her throat as she leaned her head back to give him access.
His lips caused muffled groans to escape from deep within her. He was
elated that he could arouse her to such feverish yearning for him. He
rubbed his smooth face against her sleek hair and relished the feel of it
against his cheek and neck. He drifted his hands up and down her back
and felt long black strands tease over his fingers during each trip upward.
He kissed her forehead and the tip of her nose. Nothing in his life felt
as good as she did in his arms. As his mouth brushed over hers, he
vowed, "I have craved you every sun and moon since I first saw you.
If I did not know better, I would swear I am only dreaming or I am
drifting toward the Ghost Trail after a deadly grizzly attack."

Amidst their mingled breaths, she said, "So would I, Waci Tate, but
we are awake and alive. That day in the Brave Heart forest after meeting
you, I knew my life would never be the same. I never thought our paths
would cross again but the Great Spirit works in mysterious and most
unexpected ways."

He looked at her radiant face and into her luminous dark eyes. "We
do not know where our twisting path will take us, but it will be together."

Chumani agreed with those heart-stirring words before she peeled a
fringed shirt off his broad shoulders to expose a hairless chest with Sun
Dance scars and an abdomen whose muscles rippled like rolling terrain.
She freed the ties of his beaded belt and pulled it through the side loops
of his leggings. As he stretched out each leg in turn, she removed his
moccasins and tugged off his leggings. She folded and placed his garments
in a pile beside them, then waited in suspense to see if he removed hers
or if that task would fall to her.

She watched his lowered gaze as he took off her beaded belt and
knife sheath and laid them aside. He undid the leather thongs at her
neck, grasped the fringed hem of her dress, and lifted it over her head
after she raised her arms to assist him. Then he untied the narrow laces
of her undergarment, and she shifted her body to permit its removal.
At a snail's pace his gaze crawled up her body, pausing on her naked
breasts, until it reached her face.

Their eyes met and they simply looked at each other, as if each was
making sure the other had no reservation about what was going to
happen next. Her palms were flattened against his bronze chest while
his hands cupped her face and his thumbs stroked the sleek skin near
her parted lips. Chumani's fingers played in hair as dark as midnight
and almost as long as hers, and he slid his behind her head to draw it
toward his. Their mouths met in a tentative kiss which flowered into
full-blown passion within moments.

Chumani slipped her hands beneath his arms to rove his broad back
and felt the strength which dwelled there; his shoulders and arms, she
soon discovered, held the same power. She was aglow with desire and
eager to take the next step along this new and crucial journey.

Time seemed to stand still and any reality beyond the cave seemed
to vanish as they explored their feelings and stimulated each other to
a lofty degree. Their kisses became ravenous and greedy, and their hearts
pounded as their excitement increased.

As if receiving a mental message from her, Wind Dancer eased them
down to the buffalo hide with her in his arms and them on their sides. Her nipples hardened as Wind Dancer's fingers tantalized them to firmer
points after rolling her to her back.

Chumani was awed by how wonderful it felt to have him touching
her breasts. Her astonishment and pleasure multiplied when his questing
mouth closed over one rosy brown bud. His tongue lavished hot moisture
and generous attention there between light flicks and mind-spinning
suckles. The sensations he created were deliriously arousing. She closed
her eyes to absorb them, as the cave was almost too dark to see him in
the glow of the fire's dying embers. Yet, each time lightning flashed
and illuminated the interior, her lids flew open to catch even a brief
glimpse of him.

Wind Dancer's right hand ventured over her bare body as far as it
could reach without dislodging his mouth from its splendid location.
She had a firm and agile body, and every part was an enchanting
enticement. His hand drifted over her rib cage and stomach, caressing
its way to the tempting region between her thighs. He rubbed the small
nub there, massaging it with light and slow strokes at first, then with
firmer and faster ones as her hips began to move and soft moans escaped
her mouth.

Chumani squirmed and sighed as he feasted at her breasts and drove
her wild with his caresses. A curious tension gnawed at her, a tension
that pleased her and tormented her all at one time. She had never felt
this way with Dull Star.

Wind Dancer's mouth slowly traveled up Chumani's chest and neck
and at last melded with hers as he moved atop her. He hoped she was
as eager to continue their bold journey as she appeared to be; he certainly
was. His manhood felt like a burning torch which needed to be sated
lest it be consumed by fiery flames. He had never had to use this kind
of restraint before or delay his release for so long, as his first wife had
not enjoyed such unions and wanted them over with as quickly as
possible. With great gentleness, he eased within her feminine core. When
she arched toward him, he thrust himself deeper within her, kissing
and caressing her all the while. He prayed he was not being too forceful
and too swift as he assumed Dull Star had been. After her ankles overlapped his calves and she seemed to open and offer herself fully to
him, he penetrated her even more deeply and began a steady pattern
of undulations.

Chumani was relieved she felt no pain, only pleasure. She realized
every movement Wind Dancer made only increased her yearnings. Every
time he entered her, it was the most wonderful sensation she had
experienced, as if each new thrust was more stimulating than the preceding one. It was beautiful and natural to have their bodies meshed, to
have such powerful feelings racing through both of them, to discover
such joy and unity. It was a total sharing of themselves, a bonding on
all levels, a consummation of their joining, an exquisite foreshadowing
of a glorious future together.

Their hearts pounded in unison as they mentally and physically
pledged themselves to each other. Their passions mounted, each seeking
a goal only to be imagined at that point. They urged their spirits skyward
and grew dizzy at the awesome heights of their soaring passion. Chumani
reached her climax first and Wind Dancer soon followed her. Afterward
they cuddled as their bodies cooled and their pounding hearts slowed.

"Did I ride too fast and hard?" Wind Dancer asked.

"No, mihigna, " a sated Chumani replied. "You did so with great
skill."

"That is good to hear, and makes my heart beat with joy and pride."

Chumani nestled into his strong embrace and rested her head on his
shoulder. She liked the way his fingers trailed over her arm and shoulder,
and the husky tone of his voice. He seemed happy and calm and
possessive; and she thrilled to all of it. Although they had not spoken
of love for each other, she was certain that was what they felt; it definitely
was what she felt. At last, they were fully bonded.

Wind Dancer savored the feel of her naked body against his, the way
her arm rested over his chest and a knee over his thighs, the way she
cuddled up to him, and her occasional dreamy sigh. At last, she belonged
completely to him, and he would allow nothing and no one to take
her away from him.

They closed their eyes and drifted into the most restful and peaceful
night's sleep they had found since their joining.

Upon awakening, Wind Dancer and Chumani made love again before
they bathed in a round depression in the cave where water trickled
down one side and formed an ankle-deep refreshing rock pool. They
ate the food they had ignored last night while engrossed in each other.
As they did so, the horses grazed outside near a narrow stream where
the son of Chief Rising Bear went to say his daily prayers after their
meal and while his wife prepared their belongings for departure.

The storm had passed during the night. Before his morning ritual,
Wind Dancer noticed that wildflowers and blades of grass stood tall
with renewed energy. Tree limbs and branches on bushes hung low
with water-filled leaves. Birds sang; animals foraged; and insects fluttered
about to gather nectar. Despite the heavy rain, the earth and vegetation
had drunk so greedily that it appeared only damp, not muddy. The sky
was a clear blue and the few clouds in sight were distant and wispy.
The air was warm and the breeze was gentle, promising a lovely day.

After Wind Dancer said his mental prayers to Wakantanka while
facing the rising sun, he turned to see his best friend leaning against a
rock nearby. "Wiyaka Lute, u wo, " he called the man's name and invited him forward.

Red Feather joined him. "We searched for you and Dewdrops after
the storm halted and light returned to the face of Mother Earth," he
said. "It was a hard task, for the rain removed your tracks. We waited
for you to leave the cave so we would not disturb your sleep and ..."
He grinned knowingly and did not finish his sentence. "After we saw
the slain grizzly and your horses feeding, I sneaked closer to be sure
you were unharmed."

Wind Dancer realized he had been so distracted while making love
to Chumani that he had not heard his friend's approach or departure,
and that great lowering of his guard astonished and mildly displeased
him, for Red Feather could have been an enemy. Yet, there was something more that baffled him. "Why do you say, `we'?" he asked as he glanced around the area. Before he finished his query and Red Feather
could answer, he sighted a woman atop the hill the bear had used, one
who was holding the tethers of their horses.

"She is called Zitkala; she is the best friend of your wife."

Wind Dancer eyed the woman and wondered how Wastemna or
anyone could mistake her for a man. She did have a rather plain face
and tall body, but she was clad in a fringed dress, and long black haira beaded rosette in it-flowed around her shoulders. "Why do you
come here?" Wind Dancer asked in concern. "Is there trouble in the
camp of Tall Elk? Did she bring bad news to Dewdrops?"

"No. She came to visit Dewdrops two moons past, but did not enter
our camp. As she returned to the White Shield camp, she saw two Crow
and one Pawnee heading toward our camp in a cunning manner. She
came to warn us of their approach and spoke with me. It was a scouting
party; we believe they spied on the Brave Hearts first and were coming
to do the same to our camp for two reasons: to learn our numbers after
the white man's disease took many lives in many bands and perhaps to
learn if we prepare to leave for the grasslands so their war party could
encircle and entrap us while we were spread out and vulnerable. Together
we tracked them, attacked, and killed them in fierce battles. She is a
great warrior, for she fought as a she-wolf protecting her young. Her
skills are many and her prowess is large. We feared other enemies had
found you and Dewdrops and harmed you."